


Half What, Now?

by Jedi Buttercup (jedibuttercup)



Series: Dawn Klêidouchos [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Challenge Response, Crossover, Drabble Collection, Family, Gen, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-14
Updated: 2010-03-14
Packaged: 2017-10-08 00:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/70603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedibuttercup/pseuds/Jedi%20Buttercup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It <i>would</i> help explain Dawn's terrible luck with Tuesdays.  (A challenge drabble series).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Half What, Now?

Buffy blinked. A demigod? For serious? She'd run across powerful beings that called themselves "gods" before, but never any modest enough to claim only half that title.

Regardless. A god, even only half one, wanting to make off with her baby sister? Yeah _right_. Good thing Dawn had called her. Where did this boy get off? Just because some huge, horned monster had attacked the college they both attended, and Dawn did better with ancient languages than English, that didn't have to mean Dawn was some mythic Half Blood, too.

She saw what Dawn saw in _him_\-- pretty eyes, dark hair, just the right combination of awkward and _aware_ to feel familiar. But contrariwise? Their Mom would never have….

The thought trailed off as Buffy remembered that technically, _she_ was Dawn's mother, not Joyce. Technically. And they never _had_ discovered where the rest of Dawn's DNA came from. They should've _known_ that would come back to haunt them. And it _would_ help explain Dawn's terrible luck with Tuesdays. Stupid Powers.

"Okay. But I'm coming, too."

Percy winced apologetically. "Normal humans can't cross the threshold of the camp, I'm sorry."

She smiled thinly. "Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem."


	2. Halfway There

Percy Jackson smiled as he led the Summers sisters up the hill toward Thalia's tree at the borders of Camp Half-Blood. The Golden Fleece shone like a porch light in its branches, welcoming them home.

He didn't expect Buffy to be able to cross the threshold, though, no matter how determined she was to stick with her sister. The only ordinary-born mortal who _could_ was the current Oracle of Delphi-- who definitely wasn't a short California blonde.

So what if Buffy could see through the Mist that shrouded the world of gods and monsters from everyday perception? So could Percy's Mom, and _she'd_ never been allowed inside. When he'd told her that, though, Buffy had just smiled and said it wouldn't be a problem-- no explanation, annoyingly like Chiron and Annabeth 'protecting' him before his sixteenth birthday.

That wasn't the only thing bothering him, either. The gods had all promised to claim _all_ their mortal children. So why had Dawn been surprised when he'd recognized her heritage and confronted her? Had one of the Olympians been hiding her?

Could she be part of the next Great Prophecy?

Percy sighed and kept climbing. He was sure they'd find out soon enough.


	3. Half-Hearted Welcome

Chiron shifted uneasily on his hooves as Percy led the camp's newest guests toward the Big House. Peleus snorted apprehensive sparks behind them, disturbed by the fading clamor from the magical barriers; but despite the alarm, Dawn Summers' sister had not been refused entry, a thing almost unheard of in the camp's history.

Beside him, Dionysus made a disgruntled noise. "You know what this means."

Chiron knew. He'd helped set up that particular warning system when Camp Half-Blood was constructed. Though the Titans no longer produced offspring with the frequency of Zeus' pantheon, there were yet many powerful beings in the world who did not answer to Olympus, and their descendants often proved dangerous. At least one Titanic bloodline still mingled freely with humanity, occasionally sporting cursed, clear-sighted daughters mistaught to pursue destruction of _all_ nonhumans, evil or otherwise. The son of Ares who'd created the Watcher's Council had much to answer for.

"A Slayer and a demigod in the same family? This cannot be coincidence," he mused, watching the golden-haired woman approach.

"A demigod whose parent has not answered the Oath to claim her," Dionysus reminded him, frowning.

Chiron sighed. Perseus Jackson really did have the most improbable luck.


	4. Half an Answer

Annabeth ran up to her newly-returned boyfriend and threw her arms around him, heedless of his companions. She'd already heard via Iris message that he'd brought in a new halfblood, but introductions could wait until she'd finished welcoming him back.

It wasn't that she doubted his loyalty; it was, after all, his fatal flaw. But she couldn't resist claiming him in front of the other girl, anyway.

"Hey, Annabeth," Percy said, once she let him breathe again.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain," she replied, grinning back.

"How's the reconstruction going?"

She shrugged, but her smile widened at the reminder of her job as architect of the gods. "You'll have to come see, later. Going to introduce me?"

"Oh!" Blushing, he turned to his guests. "Guys, this is my girlfriend Annabeth, daughter of Athena. Annabeth, meet Dawn and her sister Buffy. Dawn hasn't been claimed yet."

"That's strange," Annabeth frowned, looking her over. "You're definitely over the new age limit."

"What age limit?" Buffy repeated, stiffening.

"According to their Oath, the gods now have until their children turn thirteen," Percy explained.

Dawn paled. "And if I'm-- technically-- _not_?"

Annabeth stared at her. "How is that possible?"

Dawn swallowed, glancing at her sister. "Um...?"


	5. Half Truths

"It's kind of a long story," Dawn temporized, fidgeting.

Buffy squeezed her arm reassuringly. "Five years ago, Dawn just appeared in our lives like she'd always been there," she said, firmly. "We kept her. The end."

Dawn laughed shakily at that bare-bones summation. "...Or, not that long?"

"So, what-- you were _born_ a teenager?" Percy said, throwing a startled glance at his girlfriend.

"Don't look at me," Annabeth shrugged. "My mom wasn't the _only_ god ever born full-grown."

"Though it _is_ uncommon," Chiron added. "I take it, then, that your mortal parent...?"

"Is _not_ going to just leave her here, no matter who her other parent is," Buffy interrupted, scowling at him. "_Especially_ not if it's Janus."

The camp director, the grumpy and probably not-human-either Mr. D, raised his eyebrows at that. "What does that Roman upstart have to do with anything?"

"Nothing!" Dawn replied, kicking her sister in the shin. At least Buffy hadn't mentioned Osiris, or worse, Glorificus; which-- oh, goddess, no! Just about _any_ Greek god would be preferable to _her_.

Chiron frowned, eyeing her speculatively. "Perhaps a visit to Olympus is in order."

If that would finally end the suspense, Dawn was all for it. "Fine."


	6. Half Whose?

Buffy was mentally listing male Greek-type names from old Gilesian lectures-- the ones she remembered, anyway-- when the elevator from the Empire State Building opened onto a gleaming walkway. Beyond it rose a mountain dressed in parks, temples, houses, and a palace: the eternal city of Olympus, currently a little worse for wear. Several buildings were undergoing reconstruction, the marble structures as crumbly as any ancient ruin she'd toured with The Immortal, hinting at recent near-apocalypse.

At least she was on familiar grounds _there_.

Blindingly beautiful people bustled everywhere; several nodded to Annabeth, Percy, or Chiron as they passed. No one stopped them, though, until they reached the palace gates, where a lone woman stood waiting.

Dawn froze, clutching Buffy's arm at the sight of her.

"Dawn?" Buffy prompted, but her sister-daughter simply shook her head, speechless.

Chiron halted beside them, inclining his head with respect. "Hecate."

"Heck-a _what_?" The name sounded weirdly familiar.

"Goddess of night, magic, and the crossroads," Percy hissed in reply. "She helped Kronos, though. What's she doing here?"

"Welcoming my daughter," Hecate answered, coolly.

Buffy gaped. _Oh_. Crossroads, night, magic: _duh_. But, still-- a _goddess_? _That_ goddess?

Willow was going to _freak_ at the news.


	7. Half Summers

Dawn swallowed, staring at the goddess who'd just claimed her.

In the back of her mind, information absorbed from her witchy babysitters whispered confirmation: ancient images of Hecate often included a sacred key, and one of Hecate's epithets was Propylaia, "she who stands before the gate...."

Wasn't a Hellmouth a massive metaphysical gate?

Other things made more sense now, too. Hecate would want her Key back eventually: so, not immortal. But ordinary mortals were too vulnerable: so, a halfblood. And since it was _her_ Key: _her_ daughter. But why let those monks incarnate her at all?

"There was a prophecy," Hecate said, gently. "And we are forbidden to act directly against mortals."

"Like Ben," Buffy said, then sighed. "A prophecy. I should have known."

"So you gave the Key its _own_ agency, and a devoted protector," Dawn realized-- so some other hero wouldn't be tempted by its power.

Hecate smiled. "You have done well," she said. "You have earned a place here for the rest of your days, should you desire it."

Oh yeah: she was the goddess of _choices_, too.

Really, though, there was no question. She was a _Summers_.

Dawn reached for Buffy's hand, and gave her answer.


	8. Half of Both Worlds

After they returned from Olympus, Annabeth showed Buffy to Artemis' cabin-- the Huntress had given permission after they'd talked to Hecate-- and Percy pulled Dawn aside for a moment.

"I know what a shock all this can be," he said. "And what she asked-- you know, Zeus offered to make me a god after the war with Kronos. But --"

"That wouldn't be living," Dawn replied with a watery smile.

"No, it wouldn't," he replied, glancing over to where Annabeth's blond hair and baseball cap were reemerging from Cabin Eight. Then he raised his eyebrows at his friend.

"You _are_ going to stay here for vacation, though, right? I mean, I know your sister-- mother, whatever-- is this awesome fighter, but there's lots we can teach you, too."

Dawn studied him a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. I think so; the Slaying thing's always been hers, but now I have something that's mine, too." Then she snorted. "Plus, if I didn't? I don't _even_ want to know what my friends would say; most of them are clear-sighted, too."

"Good," Percy smiled. "Come on, then; I'll race you to your cabin."

Her laughter followed them all the way across the strawberry fields.

-fin-


End file.
